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#20 Cathedral (Raymond Carver)

 Rating: 7.5/10

    Stereotypes sometimes severely hinder a person’s vision. The protagonist’s prejudice towards blind people that they won’t ever genuinely interact with those near them because of their physical disability rather blinded him. Raymond Carver conveyed the idea that what seems on the outside isn’t everything by showing how the protagonist’s description of the cathedral isn’t any better than the blind man’s. In fact, in contrast to the protagonist’s initial negative prejudice towards the disabled, he experiences an epiphany while he has his eyes closed. 

    The 'vision' the blind man possessed was not a physical sight but an ability to communicate and interact with those near him. He could establish this by ‘Seeing’ through people’s hearts on a deeper level, truly listening to their emotions. As we can see, the protagonist’s wife is physically more intimate with her husband; however, most of the protagonist’s actions are mere irritations, while the blind man seems to emotionally connect more with her. This way, I thought that in my life, I must attempt to remove barriers of stereotypes that may hinder me from having a broad vision. 

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